Beyond Modernist Masters : Contemporary Architecture in Latin America

Latin America has been an important place for architecture for many decades. Masters like Barragán, Dieste, Lina Bo Bardi, and Niemeyer pointed the way for architectural design all over the world, and they continue to do so today. Their approach to colors, materials, and walls had a deep and lasting influence on architectural modernism. Since then, however – and especially in the last fifteen years – architecture on the continent has continued to evolve, and a lively and extremely creative architecture scene has developed. The work of Latin American architects and city planners is often guided by social issues, for example, the approach to informal settlements on the outskirts of big cities, the scarcity of housing and public space, the availability of affordable transportation, and the important role of cultural infrastructure – such as schools, libraries, and sports facilities – as a catalyst for neighborhoods. Within this context, the book considers numerous projects that have prompted discussion and provided fresh impetus all across Latin America. Outstanding projects like the Santo Domingo Library in Medellin, Colombia, by Giancarlo Mazzanti; Alberto Kalach’s Liceo Franco-Mexicano in Mexico; and the works of Alejandro Aravena in Chile show that recent Latin American architecture is more than capable of holding its own beside the works of the founders.

Felipe Hernández is an architect and professor of Architectural Design, History and Theory at The University of Liverpool. He attended an MA in Architecture and Critical Theory, graduating with distinction in 1998, and received his PhD from the University of Nottingham in 2003. He has taught at the Bartlett School of Architecture (UCL), The Universities of Nottingham, Sheffield, East London and Nottingham Trent in the United Kingdom as well as at Brown University and Roger Williams University in USA. Felipe has published numerous essays and articles examining the situation of contemporary Latin American cities and revealing the multiplicity of architectural practices that operate simultaneously in the constant re-shaping of the continent’s cities.